501 - Espresso Time-R #2, $450 (Acrylic 10" x 14")
Sometimes, one just has to let go. The espresso cup and kitchen timer have such great shapes to explore. Plus, I like espresso. The alternations in lights and darks add a since of rhythm that I like. Though, come to think of it, maybe it suggests just a tad too much coffee?
500 - Bench Time, $450 (Acrylic 10" x 14")
The "Man on the Bench" series was started as a demonstration exercise for the Watercolor Society of Oregon. The first drawings were after a photograph by Oregon artist Chris Stubbs. What I found particularly intriguing is the question - what is the man doing on the bench? In this case, keeping time, naturally!
503 - Tea Bag with Lemon, NFS (Acrylic)
Study
464 - Three Minute Egg V10, $650 (Acrylic, 21" x 14")
With this composition, I wanted to impose an "L" shape down the middle to divide the picture plane. That the eggs, timer and spoon link to form a circle was unintentional. Notice the much cooler temperature of this painting in contrast to the previous version. Yet, the color pairing is similar!
465 - Three Minute Egg V8, $450 (Acrylic, 14" x 10")
Version eight of my "Three Minute Egg" paintings was the first one I did on my own in my studio. Again, I experimented with impasto (thick paint). To contrast, I created thin passages of transparent white. I am still having fun with the basic idea of eggs, spoon and timer.
473 - Three Minute Egg V9, $450 (Acrylic, 14" x10")
In version nine of the Three Minute Egg series, the forms of the subject re-assert themselves. You might notice that I'm paying close attention to the orchestration of my two dominant colors: blue and yellowish.
481 - Coffee Cup and Rabit Netsuke, $250 (Acrylic, 10.5" x 8")
I like pairing my souvenirs and nick nacks in still life arrangements. For example, the coffee cup depicted here was a gift from one of my sisters. The rabbit Netsuke replica I collected when visiting Berlin, Germany.
491 - Espresso Time-R, $175 (Acrylic, 6.5" x 9.5")
Espresso Time-R is a "spin-off" mini-series derived from my "Three Minute Egg" series. I was playing with the theme of "time" so I paired up my favorite espresso cup with the kitchen timer. This is a "just for fun" painting.
248 - KittyKitty in Orange and Yellow, $250 (Acrylic, 8" x 10")
In this version of "KittyKitty", I fell in love with orange and yellow. Normally, I wouldn't work with such a limited, high key pallet. But, the power of acrylic paints allows the colors to assert themselves. Pale lavender and blue in the white shapes enables this little kitty to glow.
247 - Lavender Tea Cup. $175 (Acrylic, 5" x 7")
"Lavender Tea Cup" is based on a drawing I did of my Mom's tea cup. It was also used by my Dad as a coffee cup. I painted it thinking of morning light and of the first cup of the day.
208 - Dusk Afterglow, $250 (Acrylic, 10" x 11")
Sometimes, I paint intuitively. Such paintings are usually the most difficult and risky paintings. I never know if I will be able to bring the painting to completion. This particular painting developed in such a way as to suggest a glow, much as one might find for a fleeting moment at sunset.
189 - Yellow Bird on a Fence, $185 (Acrylic, 8" x 10")
"Yellow Bird on a Fence" is inspired by birds sitting on chain linked fences. To me, taking a moment to watch birds go about their daily lives is like peaking into another world - the real world of nature that's all around us.
181 - Katzen, $275 (Acrylic, 12" x 6")
"Katzen" is one of several paintings about cats and their expressions. Sometimes outwardly reserved and stoic, the mystery lies in what is behind those eyes. This painting is also a study of alternating lights and darks.
168 - Gull Stepping, $250 (Acrylic, 11" x 14")
Gulls out on the beach provide an excellent opportunity to study bird anatomy and behavior. I am fascinated by how they can change their body profile. In this case, the gull had tucked in its head and neck making for a simple, smooth profile. I am especially intrigued by the pink feet tiptoeing on the sand.
162 - Three Golden Pears, $150 (Acrylic, 5" x 7"
One winter afternoon the sun was shining just right for a still life. I quickly set up to draw a set of pears, one of my favorite sumptuous fruits. While drawing the fruit I was thinking about the beauty of the shapes, graceful and sensuous. The richness in color was inspired by the fruit.
161 - Wild Flowers, $150 (Acrylic, 5" x 7")
The painting 'Wild Flowers' is based on a drawing that I did during a trip to Zion Canyon in Utah. I'd seen some Scarlet Gilia wildflowers in bloom. I liked the shape of the flowers and how they radiated out from a single stem.
157 - Beach Treasures: White Crab Pebbles and Shells, $350 (Acrylic, 16" x 20")
I like working with still life subjects. This painting includes some beach treasures my husband and I have collected on our trips to the beach. I purposely arranged the shells and pebbles to curve down from the crab shell on the right, around the sand dollar, and then back up again on the left. The crab shell is both delicate and humorous. The crab seems to have a scowl.
150 - Hens and Eggs, $350 (Acrylic, 16" x 20")
Which came first? The hen egg cups are from a friend in Sweden. I assembled this still life as I was thinking about drawing birds. What better way to study birds than to start with the egg?
134 - Butterfly Quartet, $210 (Acrylic, 11.75" x 9.5")
Painting "Butterfly Quartet" was a fun challenge. I used layers of paint and texture to build the paintings of the butterflies. I use the colors of the butterflies to create diagonal movement, with light butterflies on the upper left and lower right positions, and orange butterflies in the lower left and upper right positions. I used line, shape and texture to push and pull the colors forward and backward to keep the painting flat and yet energized. Most of all, I enjoyed working the paint and thinking of the grace of butterflies.
131 - Enjoying the Sunbeam, $185 (Acrylic, 8" x 10")
One of my cats, "Georgette" was the model for "Enjoying the Sunbeam". Georgette knew how to love a good nap, especially if her buddy "Bubba", our other cat, was in another room. Somehow, sunny spots always seem to be a cat's best place for a nap.
130 - Cleopatra, $210 (Acrylic, 11.75" x 9.5")
With "Cleopatra", I was thinking of regal cats and a cat's ability to look like she knows something you don't. I chose the colors because it reminded me of a reconstruction of Egyptian tomb paintings I saw in Berlin, Germany. I wanted to show that "Cleopatra" was a very regal feline.
117 - Dream, $350 (Acrylic, 16" x 20")
The inspiration for "Dream" was Picasso's painting "Le RÍve ". The Cubist style face alludes to "Le RÍve"; the rest is my composition. The cat is my muse and I will always be intrigued by the mystery of their expression.
116 - Patch of Green, $275 (Acrylic, 12" x 16")
"Patch of Green" might be about simply dividing a painting into rectangular shapes of different color and texture. Or, it might be about a small, green garden surrounded by a great city at night. The painting is textured and has some metallic paint.
115 - Three Spires from Heidelberg in Blue, $275 (Acrylic, 12" x 16")
"Three Spires from Heidelberg in Blue" is based on a drawing I did when living in Heidelberg, Germany. Many of the buildings in the older sections of town have beautiful spires and ornamentation and were a source of wonder and inspiration.
114 - Electric Man, $275 (Acrylic, 12" x 16")
"Electric Man" is so named because the shape of the angles reminds one of a cartoon character used by an electric company some years ago. The paintingís subject is contrast. I explored contrasting angular and amorphous shapes, textured and smooth areas, metallic, opaque and transparent paint. "Electric Man" fits the dynamic mood and feel of the painting created by all that contrast.
75 - Kites, $275 (Acrylic, 12" x 16")
To me, the strong colors and interesting shapes of kites make a good subject. In this painting, I imagined them as if I were viewing them from above as they are flown above our beach. To me, they are as bright and cheerful as spring flowers.
67 - White Kitty, $245 (Acrylic, 11" x 13")
Cats are one of my favorite subjects. Having lived with cats, I appreciate their attitudes and personalities. "White Kitty" was based on a doodle of a cat that I did. It reminds me of when we would sometimes see our kitties staring at a wall or corner and wonder what was going on in the cat's head. You will notice, the shape that suggests a window is not where the cat might be looking. If it were awake, it would be staring at a wall. But, who knows, the cat might be asleep.